Officer Slams Student to Ground, Drags Her Across Classroom

A resource officer at a South Carolina high school is in hot water after video of him manhandling a student went viral on Monday.

Officer Ben Fields had responded to a call about a female student who would not leave the classroom after she created a disturbance.

The incident took place Monday at Spring Valley High School in Columbia.

In the video, captured on cell phone, Fields can be seen grabbing the student while she's in her seat, causing her desk to flip over. He then drags her along the ground in the classroom, while other students look on.

Another female student who disturbed the class said Fields' actions were completely wrong:

I had never seen nothing like that in my life, a man use that much force on a little girl. A big man, like 300 pounds of full muscle. I was like 'no way, no way.' You can't do nothing like that to a little girl."

While the school investigates the matter, Fields is not allowed to work at any other school in the district. The county sheriff, whose department runs the resource program at Spring Valley, was away on business when the incident occurred. He cut his trip short to return and look into the matter, as well, and has asked the FBI and Justice Department for their help.

Fields was once sued for excessive force back in 2007, but he won that case. He's also a defendant in another case in which a student at Spring Valley says she was unlawfully expelled from the school.